The fungus is identified by a tiny mushroom tip poking through the soil, and spotting one is a moment of shared joy.  Yarsagumba has for a long time been a highly prized ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine.

By Bryony Morgan

Each May, Pranisha Pun and Amrimaya Pun leave Maikot village in western Nepal for a two-day trek into the high-altitude pastures of the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve. Their goal: to harvest Yarsagumba Ophiocordyceps sinensis, a rare caterpillar fungus known as “Himalayan gold,” which provides vital income for their families.

At around 4,000 metres, harvesters set up temporary camps and begin daily climbs to even higher elevations. The hunt is gruelling; thin air, freezing temperatures, and steep terrain make each step a challenge. As they climb, they pause at stone shrines in Deurali to pray for luck. 

The fungus is identified by a tiny mushroom tip poking through the soil, and spotting one is a moment of shared joy. Yarsagumba, or Cordyceps, has for a long time been a highly prized ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine and there is growing evidence that its valuable medicinal properties could help fight cancer, assist the immune system, and be beneficial for gut-health, as well as having antioxidant properties.

The value of each find depends on its size and colour, with larger, golden-yellowish specimens fetching higher prices. But the search is unpredictable. “Sometimes you don’t find even one all day,” says Amrimaya. “Other times, you might find fifteen or sixteen.”  

There is a lot at stake: the quantities of Yarsagumba gathered during these few weeks in the harsh mountaintop pastures determines outcomes for entire households for the rest of the year.  

Yarsagumba is a major source of cash income in these remote highland communities, especially for women. The money earned goes primarily toward food, education, and religious donations, investments in human and social capital. Religious giving, part of a local “economy of merit,” boosts social status and community bonds. 

Lack of Legal Awareness

Despite the severe conditions, the resilience of these communities is striking. One staff member from the local wing of the Asia Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Bioresources (ANSAB Nepal), a TRAFFIC project partner working on the ground to promote sustainable harvesting, recalled seeing women in traditional Saree playing volleyball at 4,300 metres, a testament to their strength and spirit. 

However, the challenges remain: due to lack of legal awareness, even experienced NTFP traders may be unaware of the restrictions surrounding protected areas, and can be caught and forced to abandon their life’s work. Another concern is the decline of invaluable traditional medicinal knowledge, with the younger generations increasingly migrating away from the highlands.  

Local communities, for their part, have begun to address some of these issues: they are forming their own trader groups to facilitate legal trade and negotiate better prices.

The Scaling Conservation of Himalayan Plants and Fungi project, led by TRAFFIC and partners including ANSAB Nepal, Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECOFUN), WWF India, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), University of Oxford, Tribhuvan University and FairWild Foundation is directly tackling the underlying pressures on both people and nature. The project’s strategy moves beyond local harvesting to drive change across the international supply chains in markets like China and Hong Kong that drive most of the demand for Yarsagumba. 

Traceable, Equitable Supply Chains

The core goal is to establish traceable and equitable supply chains for wild harvested NTFPs, thereby ensuring a greater, fairer return reaches the harvesters for livelihood improvement. This initiative strengthens the value chain from the mountains of Nepal through training local producer companies and harvesters on sustainable resource management, implementing pilot traceability systems to secure legal trade, facilitating adoption of sustainability standards such as FairWild certification, and organising matchmaking events to connect local producers with responsible international buyers.

The harvest of Yarsagumba is a critical annual trek for Nepali communities, providing the main source of cash income from a rare fungus highly valued in traditional medicine. Despite the extreme conditions and unpredictable search, the income is vital for local survival.

To combat challenges like illegal trade and low returns, TRAFFIC’s Scaling Conservation of Himalayan Plants and Fungi project focuses on establishing equitable and traceable supply chains to ensure harvesters receive a fairer financial benefit from their sustainable resource management.

For now, the villagers continue their annual pilgrimage, balancing tradition with modern pressures. Each tiny fungus they find carries the hope of another year of survival—and the preservation of a way of life deeply rooted in the mountains. 

Image: Sushil Mainali – ANSAB

The author is Senior Programme Manager – Himalayan NTFPs with TRAFFIC